“In our efforts to bring sustainable solutions to those we serve, we were eager to invest in a test of this environmentally friendly technology,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s President/CEO. “This innovative solution will allow Food For The Poor to improve the living conditions of the poor, regardless of their proximity to water.”
After a three-month trial period, Food For The Poor will determine whether this environmentally friendly sanitation system will be included in schools and homes constructed by the nonprofit organization in Haiti and Jamaica. Initial test sites include Quarry Hill, St. John’s Road, Naseberry Grove, Kitson Town, Jobs Lane, and Macca Tree. The toilets have a low annual maintenance cost and a life span of more than 50 years. Enviro Options has tested and evaluated the Enviro Loo since 1993 to ensure the product is a safe, sustainable solution.
“There are communities throughout the island that do not have access to running water,” said Susan James, Food For The Poor’s Jamaica Project Manager. “Residents in these communities have no option other than to walk for miles in search of water – not only for drinking and cooking purposes but also to flush their toilets. For them, this waterless toilet system that functions without chemicals will positively impact their lives.”
Community residents curious about the recent installation of the waterless toilet at Patricia Mundley’s new Food For The Poor home on Jobs Lane, Spanish Town, gathered to assist contractors, James said. “The general consensus has been that this is a very good thing. For us, it’s an opportunity to address something that’s desperately needed.”
Principal Etta Holness was present when four Enviro Loos were installed in the ground at Eccleston Primary School in Macca Tree. The above-ground structure is scheduled to be constructed in the near future.
“This is great for the school community and government – it’s a worthy cause to our Jamaican education,” said Principal Holness. “We have more toilets, less congestion and [shorter] waiting period for the students, improved health conditions, and more hygienic sanitary conditions than the present pit toilets. When we have happier students, teachers and parents – this is good. Emotionally happier students will learn more, and create improved daily attendance and school registration.”
How it works: The system separates liquid and solid waste as it enters the toilet bowl. Liquid waste drains to the bottom of the container, while solid waste remains on the drying plate. Both are exposed to a continuous flow of air. As the air moves through the system it dehydrates the solid waste as it migrates down the drying plate, and causes the liquid to evaporate quickly. The negative pressure within the container prevents the escape of any odor through the toilet bowl or through the air inlet pipes. The odor is vented into the atmosphere via the wind driven extractor.
Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. We provide emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor.
For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Contact:
Jennifer Leigh Oates
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6054
jennifero@foodforthepoor.com
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